Master service orchestration of virtual networking functions

ABSTRACT

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to master service orchestration of virtual network functions (“VNFs”). According to one aspect of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a network functions virtualization (“NFV”) platform includes a hardware resources layer including a plurality of hardware resources, a plurality of VNF resource pools, a plurality of service controllers corresponding to the plurality of VNF resource pools, and a master service orchestrator. The master service orchestrator can, when executed by at least a portion of the plurality of hardware resources, causes the master service orchestrator to perform operations. In particular, the master service orchestrator can receive, from a user equipment (“UE”), a service request. The master service orchestrator also can instruct a service controller of the plurality of service controllers to perform service controller-specific operations to provide, at least in part, a service included within the service request received from the UE.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/941,845, entitled “Master ServiceOrchestration of Virtual Networking Functions,” filed Nov. 16, 2015, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,277,687, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

Network Functions Virtualization (“NFV”) is a new technology initiativethat aims to move traditional and evolving mobility networkingfunctions, such as access network elements, core network elements,transport network elements, and others, from purpose-built hardware tocommercial-off-the-shelf (“COTS”) server-based platforms. This isachieved through virtualization of mobility networking functions tocreate virtual networking functions (“VNFs”) that operate on COTShardware.

In recent years, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute(“ETSI”) Industry Specification Group (“ISG”) has defined and formulatedthe NFV architecture. There are, however, many enhancements needed formobility networking functions to inter-operate correctly in a VNF modeland to deliver performance comparable to or better than that of thephysical networking function (“PNF”) model deployed today.

Current mobility network infrastructure is PNF-based and involves a mixof multiple vendor-specific legacy platforms. The inherent complexity ofthe current mobility network infrastructure results in difficult design,field installation, addressing, and interoperability to ensure nodal aswell as end-to-end system functionality. The PNF-based architecture tagsalong with a complex network service layer monitoring infrastructurethat cannot be persistent as network transformation takes place.Dedicated and expensive monitoring equipment needs to be replaced viaintegrated monitoring so that the data infrastructure can leveragedirect access to monitoring information from the virtualizedinfrastructure across multiple data centers.

SUMMARY

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to masterservice orchestration of VNFs. According to one aspect of the conceptsand technologies disclosed herein an NFV platform includes a hardwareresources layer including a plurality of hardware resources, a pluralityof VNF resource pools, a plurality of service controllers correspondingto the plurality of VNF resource pools, and a master serviceorchestrator. The master service orchestrator can, when executed by atleast a portion of the plurality of hardware resources, cause the masterservice orchestrator to perform operations. In particular, the masterservice orchestrator can receive, from a user equipment (“UE”), aservice request. The master service orchestrator also can instruct aservice controller of the plurality of service controllers to performservice controller-specific operations to provide, at least in part, aservice included within the service request received from the UE.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes aradio access network (“RAN”) service controller that maintains atopology of a RAN with which the UE is capable of communicating for theservice.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes amobility management entity (“MME”) service controller that instantiatesand manages a virtual MME in a MME pool of the plurality of VNF resourcepools. In these embodiments, the master service orchestrator instructsthe MME service controller to instantiate and manage the virtual MME inthe MME pool of the plurality of VNF resources pools to provide, atleast in part, the service included within the service request.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes adiameter routing agent (“DRA”) service controller that instantiates andmanages a virtual DRA in a DRA pool of the plurality of VNF resourcepools. In these embodiments, the master service orchestrator instructsthe DRA service controller to instantiate and manage the virtual DRA inthe DRA pool of the plurality of VNF resources pools to provide, atleast in part, the service included within the service request.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes ahome subscriber server (“HSS”) controller that instantiates and managesa virtual HSS in a HSS pool of the plurality of VNF resource pools. Inthese embodiments, the master service orchestrator instructs the HSScontroller to instantiate and manage the virtual HSS in the HSS pool ofthe plurality of VNF resources pools to provide, at least in part, theservice included within the service request.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes aserving gateway (“SGW”) service controller that instantiates and managesa virtual SGW in a SGW pool of the plurality of VNF resource pools. Inthese embodiments, the master service orchestrator instructs the SGWservice controller to instantiate and manage the virtual SGW in the SGWpool of the plurality of VNF resources pools to provide, at least inpart, the service included within the service request.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes apacket data network (“PDN”) gateway (“PGW”) service controller thatinstantiates and manages a virtual PGW in a PGW pool of the plurality ofVNF resource pools. In these embodiments, the master serviceorchestrator instructs the PGW service controller to instantiate andmanage the virtual PGW in the PGW pool of the plurality of virtualnetwork function resources pools to provide, at least in part, theservice comprised within the service request.

In some embodiments, the plurality of service controllers includes apolicy and charging rules function (“PCRF”) service controller thatinstantiates and manages a virtual PCRF in a PCRF pool of the pluralityof VNF resource pools. In some embodiments, the master serviceorchestrator instructs the PCRF service controller to instantiate andmanage the virtual PCRF in the PCRF pool of the plurality of VNFresources pools to provide, at least in part, the service includedwithin the service request.

It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may beimplemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, acomputing system, or as an article of manufacture such as acomputer-readable storage medium. These and various other features willbe apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and areview of the associated drawings.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intendedthat this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited toimplementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part ofthis disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating aspects of an illustrativeoperating environment in which the various concepts and technologiesdisclosed herein can be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a MME service implementationexample, according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3B are flow diagrams illustrating aspects of a method foroperating a master service orchestrator for the orchestration of VNFs,according to an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example mobile device capableof implementing aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example computer systemcapable of implementing aspects of the embodiments presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to masterservice orchestration of VNFs. More particularly, the concepts andtechnologies disclosed herein provide intelligent service layerorchestration and management for VNF resource sharing that isfundamental to the effective interworking of all the underlying VNFs ina data center to realize end-to-end mobility network functionality. Theservice chaining aspects of these multiple VNF elements ensures thatlegacy services are maintained and that new services can be launchedwith similar or better performance so that there is no end user impactin terms of service quality and reliability, thereby reducing subscriberchurn.

In a traditional Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”) network infrastructuremodel, the core network elements, such as the MME, the HSS, the SGW, thePGW, and the PCRF, are utilized in conjunction with a RAN and a UE toestablish the signaling/control plane and user plane data. Theseelements are designed to perform PNFs and can be configured in a singlepool or across multiple pool environments. The actual design anddeployment configurations of these PNFs in data centers varies accordingto the network operator's needs. Moreover, these PNFs are standalone innature and have hardware-software subsystems that are tightly coupledwith each other to realize a given LTE application function. By way ofexample, the hardware of an MME-PNF cannot be shared with theSGW/PGW-PNF as these functions might be sourced from different vendorsand are not inherently designed to support sharing.

By virtualizing LTE network functions as VNFs, it is possible todecouple the hardware and software subsystems of PNFs across multiplevendors and align towards use of a unified COTS server hardware uponwhich the application can be run as a software function. With a unifiedhardware resources model that is cost-effective, it is possible to sharethese resources, to develop various PNFs as VNF software buildingblocks, and to optimize the VNFs independently to obtain the bestpossible performance.

The VNFs operate on a common set of hardware resources, including, forexample, compute resources, memory resources, input/output resources,storage resources, and the like. A virtual switch/router can be sharedacross the VNFs on-demand for a given service with the use of a servicelayer orchestration. The use of an intelligent orchestration layer forVNF-based service chaining and resource sharing on-demand within a givenpool results in effective utilization of the hardware and softwarefunctions for a given user service. The concepts and technologiesdisclosed herein provide such a service layer orchestrator that can workacross the VNFs, chaining at least a portion of the VNFS for a givenservice type, monitoring the status thereof, and utilizing the pooledVNF resources effectively to deliver a robust service to the end user.

While the subject matter described herein may be presented, at times, inthe general context of program modules that execute in conjunction withthe execution of an operating system and application programs on acomputer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that otherimplementations may be performed in combination with other types ofprogram modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,components, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and/orother types of structures that perform particular tasks or implementparticular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practicedwith other computer systems, including hand-held devices, mobiledevices, wireless devices, multiprocessor systems, distributed computingsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, routers, switches, other computingdevices described herein, and the like.

While connections are shown between some of the components illustratedin FIG. 1, it should be understood that some, none, or all of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 1 can be configured to interact with oneother to carry out various functions described herein. Thus, it shouldbe understood that FIG. 1 and the following description are intended toprovide a general understanding of a suitable environment in whichvarious aspects of embodiments can be implemented, and should not beconstrued as being limiting in any way.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illustrative operating environment 100 inwhich the various concepts and technologies disclosed herein can beimplemented will be described. The operating environment 100 providesservice layer orchestration, wherein PNFs associated with a networkdesign are realized as VNFs utilizing a unified COTS hardware andflexible resources shared model with the application software running asa virtual machine. The dynamic service control layer across multipleVNFs during service chaining is realized within an orchestrationfunction that can assign, track, and release the COTS resourceson-demand from a pooled set of resources for a given user and for agiven service type.

The illustrated operating environment 100 includes a plurality of userequipment devices (“UEs”) 102A-102N (referred to herein collectively asUEs 102, or generally in the singular form as UE 102) operating incommunication with a radio access network (“RAN”) 104. The UEs 102 cancommunicate with the RAN 104 by way of one or more eNodeBs (“eNBs”),such as an eNB 106 and/or a home eNB 108. For implementations in which aUE, such as the UEN 102N in the illustrated example, connects to thehome eNB 108 for access to the RAN 104, the home eNB 108 can route tothe RAN 104 via a home eNB gateway (“HeNB GW”) 110. The HeNB GW 110provides control capability to manage one or more home eNBs, such as theillustrated home eNB 108. The HeNB GW 110, in some embodiments, isconfigured in accordance with 3GPP Technical Release 23.830architecture. The HeNB GW 110 can be configured in accordance withfuture 3GPP-defined architectures or can be configured in accordancewith a proprietary architecture. Although the HeNB GW 110 is shown assupporting only the home eNB 108, it is contemplated that the HeNB GW110 can support multiple home eNBs configured the same as or similar tothe home eNB 108. Likewise, although only a single eNB 106 is shown, theRAN 104 can support multiple eNBs configured the same as or similar tothe eNB 106.

Each of the UEs 102 can be a cellular phone, a feature phone, asmartphone, a mobile computing device, a tablet computing device, aportable television, a portable video game console, or the like capableof communicating with the RAN 104. The RAN 104 can include one or moreservice areas (which may also be referred to herein as “cells”) havingthe same or different cell sizes, which may be represented by differentcell-types. As used herein, a “cell” refers to a geographical area thatis served by one or more base stations operating within an accessnetwork. The cells within the RAN 104 can include the same or differentcell sizes, which may be represented by different cell-types. Acell-type can be associated with certain dimensional characteristicsthat define the effective radio range of a cell. Cell-types can include,but are not limited to, a macro cell-type, a metro cell-type, a femtocell-type, a pico cell-type, a micro cell-type, wireless local areanetwork (“WLAN”) cell-type, a MSMC cell-type, and a white space networkcell-type. For ease of explanation, a “small cell” cell-type is utilizedherein to collectively refer to a group of cell-types that includesfemto cell-type (e.g., home eNB 108), pico cell-type, and microcell-type, in general contrast to a macro cell-type, which offers alarger coverage area. Other cell-types, including proprietary cell-typesand temporary cell-types are also contemplated. Although in theillustrated example, the UEs 102 are shown as being in communicationwith one RAN (i.e., the RAN 104), the UEs 102 may be in communicationwith any number of access networks, including networks that incorporatecollocated WWAN WI-FI and cellular technologies, and as such, the UEs102 can be dual-mode devices.

The RAN 104 can operate in accordance with one or more mobiletelecommunications standards including, but not limited to, GlobalSystem for Mobile communications (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access(“CDMA”) ONE, CDMA2000, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(“UMTS”), LTE, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(“WiMAX”), other current 3GPP cellular technologies, other future 3GPPcellular technologies, combinations thereof, and/or the like. The RAN104 can utilize various channel access methods (which may or may not beused by the aforementioned standards), including, but not limited to,Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency Division MultipleAccess (“FDMA”), CDMA, wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal FrequencyDivision Multiplexing (“OFDM”), Single-Carrier FDMA (“SC-FDMA”), SpaceDivision Multiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like to provide a radio/airinterface to the UEs 102. Data communications can be provided in part bythe RAN 104 using General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), Enhanced Datarates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), the High-Speed Packet Access(“HSPA”) protocol family including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access(“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwise termed High-Speed UplinkPacket Access (“HSUPA”), Evolved HSPA (“HSPA+”), LTE, and/or variousother current and future wireless data access technologies. Moreover,the RAN 104 may be a GSM RAN (“GRAN”), a GSM EDGE RAN (“GERAN”), a UMTSTerrestrial Radio Access Network (“UTRAN”), an evolved U-TRAN(“E-UTRAN”), any combination thereof, and/or the like. The concepts andtechnologies disclosed herein will be described in context of the RAN104 operating in accordance with LTE, although those skilled in the artwill appreciate the applicability of the concepts and technologiesdisclosed herein to other cellular technologies, including, inparticular, those captured within future generation 3GPP standards.Moreover, in some embodiments, the RAN 104 is or includes a virtual RAN(“vRAN”).

As used herein, a “base station” refers to a radio receiver and/ortransmitter (collectively, transceiver) that is/are configured toprovide a radio/air interface over which one or more of the UEs 102, canconnect to a network. Accordingly, a base station is intended toencompass one or more base transceiver stations (“BTSs”), one or moreNBs, one or more eNBs (e.g., the eNB 106), one or more home eNBs (e.g.,the home eNB 108), one or more wireless access points (“APs”), one ormore multi-standard metro cell (“MSMC”) nodes, and/or other networkingnodes or combinations thereof that are capable of providing a radio/airinterface regardless of the technologies utilized to do so. A basestation can be in communication with one or more antennas (not shown),each of which may be configured in accordance with any antenna designspecifications to provide a physical interface for receiving andtransmitting radio waves to and from one or more devices, such as theUEs 102.

The RAN 104 is in communication with a network provided, at least inpart, by a NFV platform 112. The NFV platform 112, in turn, provides theUEs 102 access to one or more services 114. The service(s) 114 caninclude any mobile telecommunications services, some examples of whichinclude, but are not limited to, voice services (e.g., voice over IP)and data services.

The illustrated NFV platform 112 includes a master service orchestrator116 that orchestrates instantiation of VNFs, monitoring of VNFs, andmanagement of VNFs, including performance tuning as needed, to provideone or more of the services 114 to the UEs 102. More particularly, themaster service orchestrator 116 performs orchestration operations toinstruct a plurality of VNF service controllers 118-130 to control aplurality of VNF pools 132-142, each containing one or more virtualresources for a specific type of VNF. In this manner, the master serviceorchestrator 116 provides an intelligent orchestration layer forVNF-based service chaining and resource sharing.

The master service orchestrator 116 is a master service controllerengine that is aware of the states of the VNF service controllers118-130 at the nodal level (e.g., a specific VNF within a VNF pool)and/or the VNF pool 132-142 level. The states can include an active-ONstate, an idle-ON state, and an OFF state depending upon the masterservice controller operational and traffic management status. In someembodiments, each VNF in a VNF pool, such as one of the VNF pools132-142, can have a service controller, such as one of the VNF servicecontrollers 118-130, associated therewith that keeps track of all theUEs 102 being served by that VNF. In some other embodiments, each VNFpool, such as one of the VNF pools 132-142, can have a servicecontroller, such as one of the VNF service controllers 118-130, thatkeeps track of all the UEs 102 being served in that VNF pool. TheseVNF-specific and VNF pool-specific service controllers are tracked bythe master service orchestrator 116 to maintain synchronized states toextract various information, including, but not limited to, context,quality-per-application, and bearer profiles. This information can beused by an analytics engine of the master service orchestrator 116 fordata mining. The master service orchestrator 116 use this information todynamically allocate and/or alter the resource utilization on-demandwithin a given VNF or across multiple VNFs during the course of networkchanges or upgrades, error conditions, failover situations, and thelike.

The plurality of VNF service controllers 118-130 includes a RAN servicecontroller 118, an MME service controller 120, a DRA service controller122, a HSS service controller 124, a SGW service controller 126, a PGWservice controller 128, and a PCRF service controller 130. In theillustrated embodiment, the MME service controller 120 controls avirtual MME (“vMME”) pool 132; the DRA service controller 122 controls avirtual DRA (“vDRA”) pool 134; the HSS service controller 124 controls avirtual HSS (“vHSS”) pool 136; the SGW service controller 126 controls avirtual SGW (“vSGW”) pool 138; the PGW service controller 128 controls avirtual PGW (“vPGW”) pool 140; and the PCRF service controller 130controls a virtual PCRF (“vPCRF”) pool 142. Each of the VNF pools132-142 includes a corresponding one or more VNFs, which can beinstantiated by the corresponding one of the VNF service controllers118-130 at the instruction of the master service orchestrator 116. Inparticular, the vMME pool 132 includes one or more vMMEs 144A-144N; thevDRA pool 134 includes one or more vDRAs 146A-146N; the vHSS pool 136includes one or more vHSSs 148A-148N; the vSGW pool 138 includes one ormore vSGWs 150A-150N; the vPGW pool 140 includes one or more vPGWs152A-152N; and the vPCRF pool 142 includes one or more vPCRFs 154A-154N.The VNF service controllers 120-130, in some embodiments, can controlindividual VNFs independent of a VNF pool. In other embodiments, the VNFservice controllers 120-130 control the VNF pools 132-142 and additionalcontrollers (not shown) control the individual VNFs within the VNF pools132-142.

The vMMEs 144A-144N can perform MME PNF operations. For example, thevMMEs 144A-144N can control signaling related to mobility and securityfor E-UTRAN access, such as via the RAN 104, by the UEs 102, and cantrack and page the UEs 102 when the UEs 102 are in idle-mode. The vMMEs144A-144N can be configured in accordance with 3GPP standardsspecifications.

The vDRAs 146A-146N can perform DRA PNF operations. The vDRAs 146A-146Ncan provide real-time routing capabilities to ensure that messages arerouted among the correct elements in the network. The vDRAs 146A-146Ncan be configured in accordance with 3GPP standards specifications.

The vHSSs 148A-148N can perform HSS PNF operations. The vHSSs 148A-148Ncan include databases that contain user/subscriber information. ThevHSSs 148A-148N also can perform operations to support mobilitymanagement, call and session setup, user authentication, and accessauthorization. The vHSSs 148A-148N can be configured in accordance with3GPP standards specifications.

The vSGWs 150A-150N can perform SGW PNF operations. The vSGWs 150A-150Ncan serve the UEs 102 by routing incoming and outgoing IP packets. ThevSGWs 150A-150N also can provide an anchor point for intra-LTE mobility(e.g., handover between eNodeBs operating within the RAN 104) and ananchor point between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown). The vSGWs150A-150N can be configured in accordance with 3GPP standardsspecifications.

The vPGWs 152A-152N can perform PGW PNF operations. The vPGWs 152A-152Ncan interact with one or more PDNs (not shown). The PDN gateway functionalso performs IP address/IP prefix allocation, policy control, andcharging operations. The vPGWs 152A-152N can be configured in accordancewith 3GPP standards specifications.

The vPCRFs 154A-154N can perform PCRF PNF operations. The vPCRFs154A-154N can determine policy rules, detect service data flows, enforcepolicies, and perform flow-based charging. The vPCRFs 154A-154N can beconfigured in accordance with 3GPP standards specifications.

Each of the VNF service controllers 118-130 manages the services and/orapplications supported by a corresponding VNF type. For example, the MMEservice controller 120 can manage the services and/or applicationssupported by a given one or more of the vMMEs 144 on per UE andInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (“IMSI”) (UE/IMSI) contextbasis. This could include information per service type such as, forexample, access point name (“APN”), quality of service (“QoS”) classidentifier (“QCI”), and bearer ID. Similarly, each node can have its ownservice controller that deals with the appropriate services and/orapplications supported on per UE/IMSI basis. When these VNFs are chainedto provide an end-to-end service interworking with the correct RANtechnology, the service controllers of each of these VNFs aresynchronized so as to maintain the state per UE to deliver a givenservice. An example implementation of the MME service controller 120 isdescribed herein below with reference to FIG. 2.

The RAN service controller 118 provides entry into the NFV platform 112via the RAN 104 and the HeNB GW 110. The RAN service controller 118 cancontrol operations of the RAN 104 and the HeNB GW 110. The RAN servicecontroller 118 can maintain a RAN topology for the RAN 104 (and otherRANs not shown) as well as control RAN resources. In some embodiments,the RAN 104 is or includes a vRAN that executes upon hardware resourcesdescribed below.

Each of the VNF pools 132-142 is in communication with a virtual switch156. The virtual switch 156 can be a virtual multilayer switch thatprovides a switching stack for the NFV platform 112. In someembodiments, the virtual switch 156 is an OPEN VSWITCH, available fromopenvswitch.org. In some embodiments, the virtual switch 156 is aproprietary virtual network switch implementation.

The virtual switch 156 operates in communication with a hardwareresources layer 158. The hardware resources layer 158 provides hardwareresources, which, in the illustrated embodiment, include one or morecompute resources 160, one or more memory resources 162, and one or moreother resources 164. The compute resource(s) 160 can include one or morehardware components that perform computations to process data, and/or toexecute computer-executable instructions of one or more applicationprograms, operating systems, and/or other software. The computeresources 160 can include one or more central processing units (“CPUs”)configured with one or more processing cores. The compute resources 160can include one or more graphics processing unit (“GPU”) configured toaccelerate operations performed by one or more CPUs, and/or to performcomputations to process data, and/or to execute computer-executableinstructions of one or more application programs, operating systems,and/or other software that may or may not include instructionsparticular to graphics computations. In some embodiments, the computeresources 160 can include one or more discrete GPUs. In some otherembodiments, the compute resources 160 can include CPU and GPUcomponents that are configured in accordance with a co-processingCPU/GPU computing model, wherein the sequential part of an applicationexecutes on the CPU and the computationally-intensive part isaccelerated by the GPU. The compute resources 160 can include one ormore system-on-chip (“SoC”) components along with one or more othercomponents, including, for example, one or more of the memory resources162, and/or one or more of the other resources 164. In some embodiments,the compute resources 160 can be or can include one or more SNAPDRAGONSoCs, available from QUALCOMM of San Diego, Calif.; one or more TEGRASoCs, available from NVIDIA of Santa Clara, Calif.; one or moreHUMMINGBIRD SoCs, available from SAMSUNG of Seoul, South Korea; one ormore Open Multimedia Application Platform (“OMAP”) SoCs, available fromTEXAS INSTRUMENTS of Dallas, Tex.; one or more customized versions ofany of the above SoCs; and/or one or more proprietary SoCs. The computeresources 160 can be or can include one or more hardware componentsarchitected in accordance with an ARM architecture, available forlicense from ARM HOLDINGS of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Alternatively,the compute resources 160 can be or can include one or more hardwarecomponents architected in accordance with an x86 architecture, such anarchitecture available from INTEL CORPORATION of Mountain View, Calif.,and others. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the implementationof the compute resources 160 can utilize various computationarchitectures, and as such, the compute resources 160 should not beconstrued as being limited to any particular computation architecture orcombination of computation architectures, including those explicitlydisclosed herein.

The memory resource(s) 162 can include one or more hardware componentsthat perform storage operations, including temporary or permanentstorage operations. In some embodiments, the memory resource(s) 162include volatile and/or non-volatile memory implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data disclosedherein. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, randomaccess memory (“RAM”), read-only memory (“ROM”), Erasable ProgrammableROM (“EPROM”), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (“EEPROM”), flashmemory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatiledisks (“DVD”), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetictape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium which can be used to store data and which can be accessedby the compute resources 160.

The other resource(s) 164 can include any other hardware resources thatcan be utilized by the compute resources(s) 160 and/or the memoryresource(s) 162 to perform operations described herein. The otherresource(s) 164 can include one or more input and/or output processors(e.g., network interface controller or wireless radio), one or moremodems, one or more codec chipset, one or more pipeline processors, oneor more fast Fourier transform (“FFT”) processors, one or more digitalsignal processors (“DSPs”), one or more speech synthesizers, and/or thelike.

Turning back to the master service orchestrator 116, the master serviceorchestrator 116 can continuously monitor the virtual resources in theVNF pools 132-142 and can fine tune performance of the virtual resourcesby instructing the VNF service controllers 118-130 to manage the VNFpools 132-142. Since several of the VMs within a VNF and across multipleVNFs interwork with each other via service chaining for a given usersession/service, the inter-VNF communication for a given service chainand across such multiple service chains for users should be robustenough so that there are no latency issues in processing packets of anylength/size. If there are any latencies between VNF communications thatexceed a pre-defined threshold, the master service orchestrator 116 canprompt one or more of the VNF service controllers 118-130 to acceleratecorresponding packets through the virtual switch 156 across the VNFpools 132-142 to maintain integrity with respect to internal serviceassurance or could take an alternate VNF-VNF path across the VNF pools132-142 if the alternate path meets inter-VNF communication serviceassurance criteria.

Besides inter-VNF communication, the master service orchestrator 116continuously monitors each of the VNFs across the VNF pools 132-142 andensures that the correct VNFs are instantiated and selected for a givenservice requested by one or more of the UEs 102. For example, if a userneeds to be served with LTE-broadcast, the master service orchestrator116 can assign a set of core network virtual resources from the VNFpools 132-142 to handle the broadcast service. Once the service has beendelivered and completed, the VNFs are released followed by a reportgeneration for such service.

The master service orchestrator 116 allows for evaluating a virtual datacenter in terms of its resiliency and performance with a net score.Virtual data centers that need to be setup and torn down on-demand toaddress specific user traffic loading, resource allocation and sharing,mobility events, and the like could utilize the master serviceorchestrator 116 to evaluate real-time performance so that the subjectvirtual data center can be used as a baseline standard for hostingfuture events in a secure and stable manner without disrupting normalmobility consumer traffic serving network.

The master service orchestrator 116 can ensure that the services 114provided to mobility customers are not impacted due to service chainingbetween VNFs. If, for a given service, the master service orchestrator116 detects a potential packet processing issue during VNF chaining, themaster service orchestrator 116 can take a proactive action toreallocate the virtual resources between the VNF pools 132-142 for thatspecific user/service.

The master service orchestrator 116 relies on an internal analyticsengine that can tap into the IP streams for a given service data flowfor the duration of a session/call during the service chaining acrossthe VNFs and extract a score that the master service orchestrator 116can use to compare against an internally provisioned baseline. Suchscores could vary depending on the type of service(s) that an individualuser may have subscribed to and can be used to continuously evaluate howthe transformed network/service is performing for customers.

The master service orchestrator 116 ensures radio spectrum and corenetwork resources, simultaneous voice/video/data/messaging, multi-partyconferencing services, and the like are effectively served and utilizedso that legacy (e.g., 3G and 2G) systems can be retired quickly and theassociated spectrum re-used for emerging wireless technologies (e.g.,5G) in delivering enhanced services to mobile consumers with richmultimedia services over a virtualized network infrastructure in a datacenter.

When a UE 102 moves out of a LTE coverage area, the master serviceorchestrator 116 can monitor user-service fall back to underlying legacynetwork and ensure that its service is fully met while the UE 102 isserved by the legacy infrastructure that may not be virtualized in theoperator's network. Tighter integration of the 3G network managementsystems with the master service orchestrator 116 can ensure such areliable monitoring and assurance engine is in place to minimizesubscriber churn when associated with dynamic user mobility patterns inthe network.

The master service orchestrator 116 not only facilitates in theorchestration of various mobility core network components in theend-to-end signaling data path once the UE 102 attaches into the networkvia an MME, such as one of the vMMEs 144, as the entry point in thenetwork, but also considers the source of the attach request—that is,whether the attach request originates from a service macro eNB, such asthe eNB 106, or a small cell eNB, such as the home eNB 108, via the HeNBGW 110. The master service orchestrator 116 extracts access networktopology information from the RAN service controller 118 that handlesthe RAN 104 and chains individual services in a cell across multiplecore network elements from the VNF pools 132-142. The master serviceorchestrator 116 can utilize the dynamic mobility patterns of the usersat the cell sector level and can tie the VNF resources to provide theoptimal connectivity and routing path on a per user-service flow basis.

It is possible that a given class of UE/devices may belong to certainmachine-to-machine (“M2M”) and Internet of things (“IoT”) industryverticals that need to attach to a service specific MME. The MME servicecontroller 120 analyzes and maintains a service database that can trackper-IMSI/per-service specific context level information that can be usedin the allocation of MME resources on-demand, and the MME servicecontroller 120 can use this information to correlate the overall nodaland network performance when multiple services are being requested oroffered to a user/device.

For example, the MME service controller 120 can interwork with the DRAservice controller 122 and the HSS service controller 124 to determineservice specific diameter signaling routing within a group of resourcesfor optimal chaining and routing. Once the diameter service chain hasbeen established and transactions completed successfully with the DRAservice controller 122 and the HSS service controller 124, the MMEservice controller 120 can work with the SGW service controller 126, thePGW service controller 128, and the PCRF service controller 130 todetermine the best possible GW/PCRF resources that are within proximityto establish session management procedures.

Once the end-to-end signaling data path is set up, the respectivenode-specific service controllers can align with the master serviceorchestrator 116 to ensure their nodal resources are locked for a givenservice. Having a smarter service specific control within each nodelocally and globally within the master service orchestrator 116 helps tomaintain a unique relationship for the end-to-end service across themobility network and optimally utilize such resources as the servicedynamics change in the network. These nodes also can have localanalytics engines that interwork with the master analytics engine in themaster service orchestrator 116 that can analyze, maintain, and reportthe dynamics of the resources tied to specific services per givenservice chain. This information can in turn be utilized by serviceproviders as well as application providers to create innovative andtargeted services to a given user or set of users/devices.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrating an MME serviceimplementation example 200 will be described, according to anillustrative embodiment. The MME service implementation example 200includes the MME service controller 120 introduced above in FIG. 1. TheMME service controller 120 manages a plurality of services 202A-202N bya given one of the vMMEs 144 on a per UE/IMSI context basis. In theillustrated example, the service₁ 202A provides a context₁ 204A and theservicers 202N provides a context_(N) 204N. The context₁ 204A isassociated with two QCIs—QCI₁ 206A and QCI₂ 206B. The context_(N) 204Nis associated with one QCI—QCI_(x) 206X. The QCI₁ 206A can be accessedvia an APN₁ 208A and an APN_(Y) 208Y. The QCI₂ 206B can be accessed viaan APN₂ 208B and an APN_(Z) 208Z. The QCI_(x) 206X can be accessed viathe APN₁ 208A and the APN_(Y) 208Y. It should be understood that a givenone of the vMMEs 144 can provide any number of services, each supportingany number of contexts for any number of QCIs accessible via any numberof APNs. As such, the MME service implementation example 200 should notbe construed as being limiting in any way.

Turning now to FIGS. 3A-3B, aspects of a method 300 for orchestratingservices within the NFV platform 112 via the master service orchestrator116 will be described, according to an illustrative embodiment. Itshould be understood that the operations of the methods disclosed hereinare not necessarily presented in any particular order and thatperformance of some or all of the operations in an alternative order(s)is possible and is contemplated. The operations have been presented inthe demonstrated order for ease of description and illustration.Operations may be added, omitted, and/or performed simultaneously,without departing from the scope of the concepts and technologiesdisclosed herein.

It also should be understood that the methods disclosed herein can beended at any time and need not be performed in its entirety. Some or alloperations of the methods, and/or substantially equivalent operations,can be performed by execution of computer-readable instructions includedon a computer storage media, as defined herein. The term“computer-readable instructions,” and variants thereof, as used herein,is used expansively to include routines, applications, applicationmodules, program modules, programs, components, data structures,algorithms, and the like. Computer-readable instructions can beimplemented on various system configurations including single-processoror multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personalcomputers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based,programmable consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations describedherein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts orprogram modules running on a computing system and/or (2) asinterconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within thecomputing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent onthe performance and other requirements of the computing system.Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred tovariously as states, operations, structural devices, acts, or modules.These states, operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may beimplemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic,and any combination thereof. As used herein, the phrase “cause aprocessor to perform operations” and variants thereof is used to referto causing a processor of the hardware resources layer 158, such as oneor more of the compute resources 160, and/or a processor one or moreother computing systems and/or devices disclosed herein to performoperations.

For purposes of illustrating and describing some of the concepts of thepresent disclosure, the methods disclosed herein are described as beingperformed, at least in part, by the master service orchestrator 116 viaexecution of one or more software modules. It should be understood thatadditional and/or alternative devices and/or network nodes can providethe functionality described herein via execution of one or more modules,applications, and/or other software. Thus, the illustrated embodimentsare illustrative, and should not be viewed as being limiting in any way.

The method 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A-3B andfurther reference to FIG. 1. The method 300 begins at operation 302,where the master service orchestrator 116 receives, via the RAN servicecontroller 118, an initial UE message, including a UE identity, aservice request, and a cell location associated with the UE. The UEidentity can include an IMSI.

From operation 302, the method 300 proceeds to operation 304, where themaster service orchestrator 116 instructs the MME service controller 120to instantiate an MME instance—that is, one or more of the vMMEs 144—forhandling the UE₁ 102. From operation 304, the method 300 proceeds tooperation 306, where the master service orchestrator 116 instructs theDRA service controller 122 to instantiate a DRA instance—that is, one ormore of the vDRAs 146—for handling the UE 102. From operation 306, themethod 300 proceeds to operation 308, where the master serviceorchestrator 116 instructs the HSS service controller 124 to instantiatean HSS instance—that is, one or more of the vHSSs 148—for handling theUE 102. From operation 308, the method 300 proceeds to operation 310,where the master service orchestrator 116 instructs the MME servicecontroller 120 to perform diameter service selection within the MMEinstance towards the DRA instance and the HSS instance for performing anauthentication and location update procedure. From operation 310, themethod 300 proceeds to operation 312, where the master serviceorchestrator 116 receives, from the HSS instance, service subscriptioninformation for a user associated with the UE 102.

As an example, depending upon a new service initiated from the UE 102,the master service orchestrator 116 is cognizant of the variouscross-functional service controllers (e.g., some combination of the VNFservice controllers 118-130) that the master service orchestrator 116needs to instantiate for the new service. Such a trigger for specificservice controllers can be based on an internal mapping within themaster service orchestrator 116 and/or derived from an analytics engine(not shown) that maintains a database (also not shown) of all thenetwork elements required to form/deliver a service. In case of certainapplications, such as M2M/IoT, that can be delivered via control planemessaging procedures without the need for session management, the masterservice orchestrator 116 might not trigger any interactions with the SGWservice controller 126, the PGW service controller 128, and the PCRFservice controller 130 for dynamic selection of gateway network elements(e.g., one of the vSGWs 150 and one of the VPGWs 152) if such sessionmanagement procedures and associated IP packet data connections are notrequired for the new service.

From operation 312, the method 300 proceeds to operation 314, where themaster service orchestrator 116 instructs the MME service controller 120to perform DNS lookup and to perform GW selection based upon the APN towhich the UE 102 is attached and the tracking area of the UE 102. Fromoperation 314, the method 300 proceeds to operation 316, where themaster service orchestrator 116 receives information regarding a GW pairselected by the MME service controller 120 at the instruction of themaster service orchestrator 116 at operation 314.

From operation 316, the method 300 proceeds to operation 318 (shown inFIG. 3B), where the master service orchestrator 116 instructs the MMEservice controller 120 to interact with the SGW service controller 126for session management information. From operation 318, the method 300proceeds to operation 320, where the master service orchestrator 116instructs the SGW service controller 126 to interact with the PGWservice controller 128 based upon home/roaming user type.

From operation 320, the method 300 proceeds to operation 322, where themaster service orchestrator 116 instructs the PGW service controller 128to interact with the PCRF service controller 130 to establish an IPsession for the UE 102 and to complete session management services forthe IP session. From operation 322, the method 300 proceeds to operation324, where the master service orchestrator 116 interacts with the MMEservice controller 120, the SGW service controller 126, the PGW servicecontroller 128, and the PCRF service controller 130 to ensure that thesession management services have completed.

From operation 324, the method 300 proceeds to operation 326, where themaster service orchestrator 116 interacts with the MME servicecontroller 120 to ensure a default bearer creation process is completedfor one or more of the service(s) 114 requested by the UE 102. Inaddition, the master service orchestrator 116 logs the default bearerscreated during the default bearer creation process. From operation 326,the method 300 proceeds to operation 328, where the master serviceorchestrator 116 ensures that, when the UE 102 initiates service, thesession/tunnel management services provided by the vPCRF 154, the vPGW152, the vSGW 150, and the vMME 144 are completed for establishingdedicated bearers to support the service type.

From operation 328, the method 300 proceeds to operation 330, where themaster service orchestrator 116 ensures that the MME service controller120 completes the dedicated bearer establishment services with the RANservice controller 118 and the UE 102 to ensure end-to-end service isrealized for the user associated with the UE 102. From operation 330,the method 300 proceeds to operation 332, where the method 300 ends.

Turning now to FIG. 4, an illustrative mobile device 400 and componentsthereof will be described. In some embodiments, one or more of the UEs102 (shown in FIG. 1) can be configured like the mobile device 400.While connections are not shown between the various componentsillustrated in FIG. 4, it should be understood that some, none, or allof the components illustrated in FIG. 4 can be configured to interactwith one other to carry out various device functions. In someembodiments, the components are arranged so as to communicate via one ormore busses (not shown). Thus, it should be understood that FIG. 4 andthe following description are intended to provide a generalunderstanding of a suitable environment in which various aspects ofembodiments can be implemented, and should not be construed as beinglimiting in any way.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the mobile device 400 can include a display402 for displaying data. According to various embodiments, the display402 can be configured to display various graphical user interface(“GUI”) elements, text, images, video, virtual keypads and/or keyboards,messaging data, notification messages, metadata, internet content,device status, time, date, calendar data, device preferences, map andlocation data, combinations thereof, and/or the like. The mobile device400 also can include a processor 404 and a memory or other data storagedevice (“memory”) 406. The processor 404 can be configured to processdata and/or can execute computer-executable instructions stored in thememory 406. The computer-executable instructions executed by theprocessor 404 can include, for example, an operating system 408, one ormore applications 410, other computer-executable instructions stored ina memory 406, or the like. In some embodiments, the applications 410also can include a user interface (“UP”) application (not illustrated inFIG. 4).

The UI application can interface with the operating system 408 tofacilitate user interaction with functionality and/or data stored at themobile device 400 and/or stored elsewhere. In some embodiments, theoperating system 408 can include a member of the SYMBIAN OS family ofoperating systems from SYMBIAN LIMITED, a member of the WINDOWS MOBILEOS and/or WINDOWS PHONE OS families of operating systems from MICROSOFTCORPORATION, a member of the PALM WEBOS family of operating systems fromHEWLETT PACKARD CORPORATION, a member of the BLACKBERRY OS family ofoperating systems from RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED, a member of the IOSfamily of operating systems from APPLE INC., a member of the ANDROID OSfamily of operating systems from GOOGLE INC., and/or other operatingsystems. These operating systems are merely illustrative of somecontemplated operating systems that may be used in accordance withvarious embodiments of the concepts and technologies described hereinand therefore should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The UI application can be executed by the processor 404 to aid a user inentering content, viewing account information, answering/initiatingcalls, entering/deleting data, entering and setting user IDs andpasswords for device access, configuring settings, manipulating addressbook content and/or settings, multimode interaction, interacting withother applications 410, and otherwise facilitating user interaction withthe operating system 408, the applications 410, and/or other types orinstances of data 412 that can be stored at the mobile device 400. Thedata 412 can include, for example, one or more identifiers, and/or otherapplications or program modules. According to various embodiments, thedata 412 can include, for example, presence applications, visual voicemail applications, messaging applications, text-to-speech andspeech-to-text applications, add-ons, plug-ins, email applications,music applications, video applications, camera applications,location-based service applications, power conservation applications,game applications, productivity applications, entertainmentapplications, enterprise applications, combinations thereof, and thelike. The applications 410, the data 412, and/or portions thereof can bestored in the memory 406 and/or in a firmware 414, and can be executedby the processor 404. The firmware 414 also can store code for executionduring device power up and power down operations. It can be appreciatedthat the firmware 414 can be stored in a volatile or non-volatile datastorage device including, but not limited to, the memory 406 and/or aportion thereof.

The mobile device 400 also can include an input/output (“I/O”) interface416. The I/O interface 416 can be configured to support the input/outputof data such as location information, user information, organizationinformation, presence status information, user IDs, passwords, andapplication initiation (start-up) requests. In some embodiments, the I/Ointerface 416 can include a hardwire connection such as USB port, amini-USB port, a micro-USB port, an audio jack, a PS2 port, an IEEE 1394(“FIREWIRE”) port, a serial port, a parallel port, an Ethernet (RJ45)port, an RJ10 port, a proprietary port, combinations thereof, or thelike. In some embodiments, the mobile device 400 can be configured tosynchronize with another device to transfer content to and/or from themobile device 400. In some embodiments, the mobile device 400 can beconfigured to receive updates to one or more of the applications 410 viathe I/O interface 416, though this is not necessarily the case. In someembodiments, the I/O interface 416 accepts I/O devices such askeyboards, keypads, mice, interface tethers, printers, plotters,external storage, touch/multi-touch screens, touch pads, trackballs,joysticks, microphones, remote control devices, displays, projectors,medical equipment (e.g., stethoscopes, heart monitors, and other healthmetric monitors), modems, routers, external power sources, dockingstations, combinations thereof, and the like. It should be appreciatedthat the I/O interface 416 may be used for communications between themobile device 400 and a network device or local device.

The mobile device 400 also can include a communications component 418.The communications component 418 can be configured to interface with theprocessor 404 to facilitate wired and/or wireless communications withone or more networks such as one or more IP access networks and/or oneor more circuit access networks. In some embodiments, other networksinclude networks that utilize non-cellular wireless technologies such asWI-FI or WIMAX. In some embodiments, the communications component 418includes a multimode communications subsystem for facilitatingcommunications via the cellular network and one or more other networks.

The communications component 418, in some embodiments, includes one ormore transceivers. The one or more transceivers, if included, can beconfigured to communicate over the same and/or different wirelesstechnology standards with respect to one another. For example, in someembodiments one or more of the transceivers of the communicationscomponent 418 may be configured to communicate using Global System forMobile communications (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”)ONE, CDMA2000, Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”), and various other 2G, 2.4G,3G, 4G, and greater generation technology standards. Moreover, thecommunications component 418 may facilitate communications over variouschannel access methods (which may or may not be used by theaforementioned standards) including, but not limited to, Time-DivisionMultiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency-Division Multiple Access (“FDMA”),Wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing(“OFDM”), Space-Division Multiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like.

In addition, the communications component 418 may facilitate datacommunications using Generic Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), EnhancedData Rates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), the High-Speed Packet Access(“HSPA”) protocol family including High-Speed Download Packet Access(“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwise termed High-Speed UploadPacket Access (“HSUPA”), HSPA+, and various other current and futurewireless data access standards. In the illustrated embodiment, thecommunications component 418 can include a first transceiver (“TxRx”)420A that can operate in a first communications mode (e.g., GSM). Thecommunications component 418 also can include an N^(th) transceiver(“TxRx”) 420N that can operate in a second communications mode relativeto the first transceiver 420A (e.g., UMTS). While two transceivers420A-420N (hereinafter collectively and/or generically referred to as“transceivers 420”) are shown in FIG. 4, it should be appreciated thatless than two, two, and/or more than two transceivers 420 can beincluded in the communications component 418.

The communications component 418 also can include an alternativetransceiver (“Alt TxRx”) 422 for supporting other types and/or standardsof communications. According to various contemplated embodiments, thealternative transceiver 422 can communicate using various communicationstechnologies such as, for example, WI-FI, WIMAX, BLUETOOTH, infrared,infrared data association (“IRDA”), near-field communications (“NFC”),ZIGBEE, other radio frequency (“RF”) technologies, combinations thereof,and the like.

In some embodiments, the communications component 418 also canfacilitate reception from terrestrial radio networks, digital satelliteradio networks, internet-based radio service networks, combinationsthereof, and the like. The communications component 418 can process datafrom a network such as the Internet, an intranet, a broadband network, aWI-FI hotspot, an Internet service provider (“ISP”), a digitalsubscriber line (“DSL”) provider, a broadband provider, combinationsthereof, or the like.

The mobile device 400 also can include one or more sensors 424. Thesensors 424 can include temperature sensors, light sensors, air qualitysensors, movement sensors, orientation sensors, noise sensors, proximitysensors, or the like. As such, it should be understood that the sensors424 can include, but are not limited to, accelerometers, magnetometers,gyroscopes, infrared sensors, noise sensors, microphones, combinationsthereof, or the like. Additionally, audio capabilities for the mobiledevice 400 may be provided by an audio I/O component 426. The audio I/Ocomponent 426 of the mobile device 400 can include one or more speakersfor the output of audio signals, one or more microphones for thecollection and/or input of audio signals, and/or other audio inputand/or output devices.

The illustrated mobile device 400 also can include a subscriber identitymodule (“SIM”) system 428. The SIM system 428 can include a universalSIM (“USIM”), a universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”) and/or otheridentity devices. The SIM system 428 can include and/or can be connectedto or inserted into an interface such as a slot interface 430. In someembodiments, the slot interface 430 can be configured to acceptinsertion of other identity cards or modules for accessing various typesof networks. Additionally, or alternatively, the slot interface 430 canbe configured to accept multiple subscriber identity cards. Becauseother devices and/or modules for identifying users and/or the mobiledevice 400 are contemplated, it should be understood that theseembodiments are illustrative, and should not be construed as beinglimiting in any way.

The mobile device 400 also can include an image capture and processingsystem 432 (“image system”). The image system 432 can be configured tocapture or otherwise obtain photos, videos, and/or other visualinformation. As such, the image system 432 can include cameras, lenses,charge-coupled devices (“CCDs”), combinations thereof, or the like. Themobile device 400 may also include a video system 434. The video system434 can be configured to capture, process, record, modify, and/or storevideo content. Photos and videos obtained using the image system 432 andthe video system 434, respectively, may be added as message content toan MMS message, email message, and sent to another mobile device. Thevideo and/or photo content also can be shared with other devices viavarious types of data transfers via wired and/or wireless communicationdevices as described herein.

The mobile device 400 also can include one or more location components436. The location components 436 can be configured to send and/orreceive signals to determine a geographic location of the mobile device400. According to various embodiments, the location components 436 cansend and/or receive signals from global positioning system (“GPS”)devices, assisted GPS (“A-GPS”) devices, WI-FI/WIMAX and/or cellularnetwork triangulation data, combinations thereof, and the like. Thelocation component 436 also can be configured to communicate with thecommunications component 418 to retrieve triangulation data fordetermining a location of the mobile device 400. In some embodiments,the location component 436 can interface with cellular network nodes,telephone lines, satellites, location transmitters and/or beacons,wireless network transmitters and receivers, combinations thereof, andthe like. In some embodiments, the location component 436 can includeand/or can communicate with one or more of the sensors 428 such as acompass, an accelerometer, and/or a gyroscope to determine theorientation of the mobile device 400. Using the location component 436,the mobile device 400 can generate and/or receive data to identify itsgeographic location, or to transmit data used by other devices todetermine the location of the mobile device 400. The location component436 may include multiple components for determining the location and/ororientation of the mobile device 400.

The illustrated mobile device 400 also can include a power source 438.The power source 438 can include one or more batteries, power supplies,power cells, and/or other power subsystems including alternating current(“AC”) and/or direct current (“DC”) power devices. The power source 438also can interface with an external power system or charging equipmentvia a power I/O component 440. Because the mobile device 400 can includeadditional and/or alternative components, the above embodiment should beunderstood as being illustrative of one possible operating environmentfor various embodiments of the concepts and technologies describedherein. The described embodiment of the mobile device 400 isillustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 500 configuredto provide the functionality in accordance with various embodiments ofthe concepts and technologies disclosed herein. In some implementations,the hardware resource layer 158 (illustrated in FIG. 1) includes one ormore computers that are configured like the architecture of the computersystem 500. The computer system 500 may provide at least a portion ofthe compute resources 160, the memory resources 162, and/or the otherresources 164. It should be understood, however, that modification tothe architecture may be made to facilitate certain interactions amongelements described herein.

The computer system 500 includes a processing unit 502, a memory 504,one or more user interface devices 505, one or more input/output (“I/O”)devices 508, and one or more network devices 510, each of which isoperatively connected to a system bus 512. The bus 512 enablesbi-directional communication between the processing unit 502, the memory504, the user interface devices 505, the I/O devices 508, and thenetwork devices 510.

The processing unit 502 may be a standard central processor thatperforms arithmetic and logical operations, a more specific purposeprogrammable logic controller (“PLC”), a programmable gate array, orother type of processor known to those skilled in the art and suitablefor controlling the operation of the server computer. Processing unitsare generally known, and therefore are not described in further detailherein. The compute resources 160 (illustrated in FIG. 1) can includeone or more processing units 502.

The memory 504 communicates with the processing unit 502 via the systembus 512. In some embodiments, the memory 504 is operatively connected toa memory controller (not shown) that enables communication with theprocessing unit 502 via the system bus 512. The memory resources 162(illustrated in FIG. 1) can include one or more instances of the memory504. The illustrated memory 504 includes an operating system 514 and oneor more program modules 516. The operating system 514 can include, butis not limited to, members of the WINDOWS, WINDOWS CE, and/or WINDOWSMOBILE families of operating systems from MICROSOFT CORPORATION, theLINUX family of operating systems, the SYMBIAN family of operatingsystems from SYMBIAN LIMITED, the BREW family of operating systems fromQUALCOMM CORPORATION, the MAC OS, OS X, and/or iOS families of operatingsystems from APPLE CORPORATION, the FREEBSD family of operating systems,the SOLARIS family of operating systems from ORACLE CORPORATION, otheroperating systems, and the like.

The program modules 516 may include various software and/or programmodules to perform the various operations described herein. The programmodules 516 and/or other programs can be embodied in computer-readablemedia containing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit502, perform various operations such as those described herein.According to embodiments, the program modules 516 may be embodied inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media mayinclude any available computer storage media or communication media thatcan be accessed by the computer system 500. Communication media includescomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or othertransport mechanism and includes any delivery media. The term “modulateddata signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristicschanged or set in a manner as to encode information in the signal. Byway of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wiredmedia such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wirelessmedia such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but isnot limited to, RAM, ROM, Erasable Programmable ROM (“EPROM”),Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (“EEPROM”), flash memory or othersolid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”),or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store the desired information and which can beaccessed by the computer system 500. In the claims, the phrase “computerstorage medium” and variations thereof does not include waves or signalsper se and/or communication media.

The user interface devices 506 may include one or more devices withwhich a user accesses the computer system 500. The user interfacedevices 506 may include, but are not limited to, computers, servers,PDAs, cellular phones, or any suitable computing devices. The I/Odevices 508 enable a user to interface with the program modules 516. Inone embodiment, the I/O devices 508 are operatively connected to an I/Ocontroller (not shown) that enables communication with the processingunit 502 via the system bus 512. The I/O devices 508 may include one ormore input devices, such as, but not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, oran electronic stylus. Further, the I/O devices 508 may include one ormore output devices, such as, but not limited to, a display screen or aprinter. In some embodiments, the I/O devices 508 can be used for manualcontrols for operations to exercise under certain emergency situations.

The network devices 510 enable the computer system 500 to communicatewith other networks or remote systems via a network 518. Examples of thenetwork devices 510 include, but are not limited to, a modem, a radiofrequency (“RF”) or infrared (“IR”) transceiver, a telephonic interface,a bridge, a router, or a network card. The network 518 may be or mayinclude a wireless network such as, but not limited to, a Wireless LocalArea Network (“WLAN”), a Wireless Wide Area Network (“WWAN”), a WirelessPersonal Area Network (“WPAN”) such as provided via BLUETOOTHtechnology, a Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (“WMAN”) such as aWiMAX network or metropolitan cellular network. Alternatively, thenetwork 518 may be or may include a wired network such as, but notlimited to, a Wide Area Network (“WAN”), a wired Personal Area Network(“PAN”), or a wired Metropolitan Area Network (“MAN”).

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that concepts andtechnologies directed to master service orchestration of VNFs have beendisclosed herein. Although the subject matter presented herein has beendescribed in language specific to computer structural features,methodological and transformative acts, specific computing machinery,and computer-readable media, it is to be understood that the conceptsand technologies disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to thespecific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specificfeatures, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms ofimplementing the concepts and technologies disclosed herein.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges may be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of theembodiments of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by aninstance of a distributed master service orchestrator system executingon at least a portion of a plurality of hardware resources of a networkfunctions virtualization platform, from a user equipment, via a radioaccess network service controller of a plurality of service controllers,a service request that specifies a service to be provided to the userequipment by the network functions virtualization platform, wherein theplurality of service controllers correspond to a plurality of virtualnetworking function resource pools comprising a virtual mobilitymanagement entity pool, wherein each of the plurality of virtualnetworking function resource pools comprises virtual networking functionresources executing on at least a further portion of the plurality ofhardware resources for providing a specific network function, whereinthe plurality of service controllers comprises the radio access networkservice controller that maintains a topology of a radio access network,and wherein the plurality of service controllers further comprises amobility management entity service controller that instantiates andmanages a virtual mobility management entity in the virtual mobilitymanagement entity pool of the plurality of virtual networking functionresource pools; and instructing, by the instance of the distributedmaster service orchestrator system, a service controller of theplurality of service controllers to perform a servicecontroller-specific operation to provide, at least in part, the serviceto the user equipment.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing, bythe distributed master service orchestrator system, the servicecontroller of the plurality of service controllers to perform theservice controller-specific operation to provide, at least in part, theservice to the user equipment comprises instructing, by the distributedmaster service orchestrator system, the mobility management entityservice controller to instantiate and manage the virtual mobilitymanagement entity to provide, at least in part, the service to the userequipment.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing, by thedistributed master service orchestrator system, the service controllerof the plurality of service controllers to perform the servicecontroller-specific operation to provide, at least in part, the serviceto the user equipment comprises instructing, by the distributed masterservice orchestrator system, a diameter routing agent service controllerto instantiate and manage a virtual diameter routing agent to provide,at least in part, the service to the user equipment.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising instructing, by the distributed masterservice orchestrator system, a home subscriber server service controllerto instantiate and manage a virtual home subscriber server to provide,at least in part, the service to the user equipment.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein instructing, by the distributed master serviceorchestrator system, the service controller of the plurality of servicecontrollers to perform the service controller-specific operation toprovide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment comprisesinstructing, by the distributed master service orchestrator system, aserving gateway service controller to instantiate and manage a virtualserving gateway to provide, at least in part, the service to the userequipment.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising instructing, bythe distributed master service orchestrator system, a packet datanetwork gateway service controller to instantiate and manage a virtualpacket data network gateway to provide, at least in part, the service tothe user equipment.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein instructing, bythe distributed master service orchestrator system, the servicecontroller of the plurality of service controllers to perform theservice controller-specific operation to provide, at least in part, theservice to the user equipment comprises instructing, by the distributedmaster service orchestrator system, a policy charging and rules functionservice controller to instantiate and manage a virtual policy chargingand rules function to provide, at least in part, the service to the userequipment.
 8. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions ofa distributed master service orchestrator system stored thereon that,when executed by a processor of a network functions virtualizationplatform, cause an instance of the distributed master serviceorchestrator system to perform operations comprising: receiving, from auser equipment, via a radio access network service controller of aplurality of service controllers, a service request that specifies aservice to be provided to the user equipment by the network functionsvirtualization platform, wherein the plurality of service controllerscorrespond to a plurality of virtual networking function resource poolscomprising a virtual mobility management entity pool, wherein each ofthe plurality of virtual networking function resource pools comprisesvirtual networking function resources executing on at least a portion ofa plurality of hardware resources for providing a specific networkfunction, wherein the plurality of service controllers comprises theradio access network service controller that maintains a topology of aradio access network, and wherein the plurality of service controllersfurther comprises a mobility management entity service controller thatinstantiates and manages a virtual mobility management entity in thevirtual mobility management entity pool of the plurality of virtualnetworking function resource pools; and instructing a service controllerof the plurality of service controllers to perform a servicecontroller-specific operation to provide, at least in part, the serviceto the user equipment.
 9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim8, wherein instructing the service controller of the plurality ofservice controllers to perform the service controller-specific operationto provide, at least in part, the service to the user equipmentcomprises instructing the mobility management entity service controllerto instantiate and manage the virtual mobility management entity toprovide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment.
 10. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein instructing theservice controller of the plurality of service controllers to performthe service controller specific operation to provide, at least in part,the service to the user equipment comprises instructing a diameterrouting agent service controller to instantiate and manage a virtualdiameter routing agent to provide, at least in part, the service to theuser equipment.
 11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10,wherein the operations further comprise instructing a home subscriberserver service controller to instantiate and manage a virtual homesubscriber server to provide, at least in part, the service to the userequipment.
 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, whereininstructing the service controller of the plurality of servicecontrollers to perform the service controller-specific operation toprovide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment comprisesinstructing a serving gateway service controller to instantiate andmanage a virtual serving gateway to provide, at least in part, theservice to the user equipment.
 13. The computer-readable storage mediumof claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise instructing apacket data network gateway service controller to instantiate and managea virtual packet data network gateway to provide, at least in part, theservice to the user equipment.
 14. The computer-readable storage mediumof claim 8, wherein instructing the service controller of the pluralityof service controllers to perform the service controller-specificoperation to provide, at least in part, the service to the userequipment comprises instructing a policy charging and rules functionservice controller to instantiate and manage a virtual policy chargingand rules function to provide, at least in part, the service to the userequipment.
 15. A distributed master service orchestrator systemcomprising: a plurality of master service orchestrator instances,wherein a master service orchestrator instance of the plurality ofmaster service orchestrator instances comprises a processor of a networkfunctions virtualization platform, and a memory comprising instructionsthat, when executed by the processor of the network functionsvirtualization platform, cause the master service orchestrator instanceto perform operations comprising receiving, from a user equipment, via aradio access network service controller of a plurality of servicecontrollers, a service request that specifies a service to be providedto the user equipment by the network functions virtualization platform,wherein the plurality of service controllers correspond to a pluralityof virtual networking function resource pools comprising a virtualmobility management entity pool, wherein each of the plurality ofvirtual networking function resource pools comprises virtual networkingfunction resources executing on at least a portion of a plurality ofhardware resources for providing a specific network function, whereinthe plurality of service controllers comprises the radio access networkservice controller that maintains a topology of a radio access network,and wherein the plurality of service controllers further comprises amobility management entity service controller that instantiates andmanages a virtual mobility management entity in the virtual mobilitymanagement entity pool of the plurality of virtual networking functionresource pools; and instructing a service controller of the plurality ofservice controllers to perform a service controller-specific operationto provide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment.
 16. Thedistributed master service orchestrator system of claim 15, whereininstructing the service controller of the plurality of servicecontrollers to perform the service controller-specific operation toprovide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment comprisesinstructing the mobility management entity service controller toinstantiate and manage the virtual mobility management entity toprovide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment.
 17. Thedistributed master service orchestrator system of claim 15, whereininstructing the service controller of the plurality of servicecontrollers to perform the service controller-specific operation toprovide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment comprisesinstructing a diameter routing agent service controller to instantiateand manage a virtual diameter routing agent to provide, at least inpart, the service to the user equipment.
 18. The distributed masterservice orchestrator system of claim 17, wherein the operations furthercomprise instructing a home subscriber server service controller toinstantiate and manage a virtual home subscriber server to provide, atleast in part, the service to the user equipment.
 19. The distributedmaster service orchestrator system of claim 15, wherein instructing theservice controller of the plurality of service controllers to performthe service controller-specific operation to provide, at least in part,the service to the user equipment comprises instructing a servinggateway service controller to instantiate and manage a virtual servinggateway to provide, at least in part, the service to the user equipment;and wherein the operations further comprise instructing a packet datanetwork gateway service controller to instantiate and manage a virtualpacket data network gateway to provide, at least in part, the service tothe user equipment.
 20. The distributed master service orchestratorsystem of claim 15, wherein instructing the service controller of theplurality of service controllers to perform the servicecontroller-specific operation to provide, at least in part, the serviceto the user equipment comprises instructing a policy charging and rulesfunction service controller to instantiate and manage a virtual policycharging and rules function to provide, at least in part, the service tothe user equipment.